Behind the Scenes With the Cast of Drag Superstar Sharon Needles' First Music Video (PHOTOS)

The first time I laid eyes (and ears) on Sharon Needles was about this time last year. Just prior to the season premiere of RuPaul's Drag Race, all the contestants were asked to make short video introductions. I recall Sharon being one of the last in line, but it was immediately clear that I needn't go further: I had found my cause célèbre, and I was going to do everything I could to make sure she won. Because I have absolutely no power whatsoever in this regard, this mostly consisted of singing her praises to my Drag Race-addicted friends, most of whom were equally smitten, I quickly realized.

For those of you who have no idea who Sharon Needles is, let me attempt to briefly describe her. It's true that she is, in her own words, "beautiful, spooky and stupid," but she's much more than that. She's smart and brave enough to make her performance a mirror reflecting the less savory aspects of our celebrity-obsessed culture. Her shtick is a brilliant sendup of the truly vapid among us, and, like the horror-clown she is, she does it in a way that enlightens rather than offends. Conversely, and at the same time, she has fashioned herself into a defender of the outsiders and the marginalized, especially within the LGBT community. She proudly waves her freak flag. Her enthusiasm is contagious, and she inspires a kind of fan devotion and loyalty that I have rarely seen. Simply put, she is feeling it.

Fast-forward several months, and I find myself at the Dream Downtown, a chic Chelsea hotel, photographing Ms. Needles, "America's next drag superstar." She had indeed won Drag Race, and I can say with complete honesty that my devotion to the show in general, and to her effort specifically, had not once lagged. The day we first met in person, I was about halfway through an enormous editorial assignment for Out, making portraits of the 100 most interesting and influential LGBT persons of the year. The assignment had me photographing such legends as Sir Elton John, Boy George and David Hockney, but it was this shoot that made me the most nervous. Sharon's razor-sharp wit and her ability to level withering remarks had me sweating. On top of it, we were all hoping to leave the shoot with a possible cover, so my team and I were pushing extra hard. (In the end, we did get that cover, and I believe that it turned out to be the most popular of the four we made for the special double issue.)

During the shoot Sharon played a track from a studio album she was working on. At the time I didn't pay too much attention to it, my mind being focused on the matter at hand: getting a cover. When you are on location shooting, it can sometimes be difficult to properly ascertain the quality of the images that are being made. Usually there are challenging time constraints as well as physical limitations within the space itself, and this shoot was no exception. I kept looking at my camera screen and getting excited about what I was seeing, but it wasn't until after we wrapped and everyone said their goodbyes that I was able to sit at my computer and discover what we had. I was immediately blown away by the confluence of good luck, great energy and, most of all, Sharon's unquantifiable and enigmatic presence in front of the lens. I knew then that I really wanted to work with her again, so, just a few days later, I suggested that I make her first music video.

Sharon and her manager, David, agreed, and over the past six weeks we have been working hard to make a memorable debut. Below are images of just a handful of the three or four dozen incredible extras who appear in Sharon Needles' debut music video, for the single "This Club Is a Haunted House," from her forthcoming full-length album, PG-13. (The video premieres this evening on Logo, and the album drops tomorrow on iTunes.) Having the opportunity to see their devotion and admiration put to the test was nothing short of inspiring. The days were very long and filled with endless buckets of fake blood -- fun, perhaps, but tremendously messy. Thank you all again!

Below, get a behind-the-scenes look at some of the cast members -- and friends and fans of Sharon Needles -- from the "This Club Is a Haunted House" video shoot. A sneak preview of the video premieres on Logo on Monday, January 28 at 5:26pm ET.

Interviews conducted by Paul Brickman.

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The Cast Of Sharon Needle's 'This Club Is A Haunted House'

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"Sharon is inspirational for who she is. I never felt represented on RuPaul's Drag Race before she was on it.
"She's the closest queen we have to someone like Madonna. She came up in the club scene, then took over the world from humble origins. I feel like if she can do it, so can I. It's exciting to be a 'spooky' queen now, thanks to Sharon Needles. When people think of drag, they think of strict female impersonation: very polished, with the wigs, boobs, heels and lashes... campy or pageant, like from the Wigstock documentary. Sharon's style hadn't really been represented on Drag Race before. I think she's the best at it, and I think that's why she's becoming one of the most famous drag queens in the world... next to RuPaul."

"The thing that I love most about Sharon is her otherworldly sense of style. But what is most inspiring about her is the effortless way that she carries herself. She never seems like she's trying too hard, and that's what makes her so real.
"The first time I saw Sharon was on RuPaul, and I immediately fell in love with her personality and her style, which seemed to stand out from the other girls. Her style tends to lean more towards gothic rawness as opposed to glamor, which I love and can relate to. I'm attracted to people who portray themselves with a consistent aesthetic but can still be dynamic.
"The most inspiring thing a person can do is to be themselves openly and be confident about it, because it makes other people realize that they have the power to do the same thing."

"Sharon's taught me to embrace my vanity.
"I've been a fan of Sharon Needles ever since RuPaul's Drag Race. As a gay male disenfranchised by the status quo, I relate to her macabre-slash-grotesque persona that finds beauty in what others may see as dark. What I take as inspiration from Sharon is her 'f*** it all' attitude, again, critiquing the status quo. It's a mantra in my own artistic endeavors. Also, how she carried herself during the show's run not only shows her resilience as a person but also as a professional performer."

"Getting to know her personally was such a great experience. I'm so sick of normal. Normal is so boring! I think Sharon is going to set the bar with this record. A lot of drag queens like to release singles. It's unheard of to record a full album. Sharon has been writing songs for the past 10 or 15 years. She knows exactly what she wants to say. It's a work of art. She tells such an intense story with her lyrics. Sometimes she would come up with statements that, as a songwriter, I slave over to come up with.
"I think that Sharon is definitely going to kick it up a notch. It's time for the freaks to inherit the mainstream pop community."

"I feel like she would be the person I could tell my nastiest and darkest secrets to.
"The first time I saw her on RuPaul's Drag Race, I fell in love with her. And after making the music video, I'm her friend as well, which makes me so lucky. I understand how hard she fought for all she is right now."

"I was teased and bullied throughout my childhood for being gay and weird, just like her. If I had a Sharon Needles growing up, I'm sure that my childhood would've been a lot happier."

"I suppose that is what caused me to fall in love: when there are no cameras around, she has absolutely no filter.
"The first time I saw her on RuPaul's Drag Race, she caught my eye. It was like love at first sight. It reminded me of Marilyn Manson. A little after the premiere of season 4, my boyfriend told me a few things about how hard it was for Sharon to go through school... how he was bullied and how the principal advised Joan [Sharon's mom] to just keep Sharon at home. I can identify with that scenario. I come from a very homophobic background. I relate to Sharon, not only because I also come from a similar background where I was bullied and misunderstood, but also because of the way she embraces her dark side. Everyone has one. The whole dark/rock/punk look: white-out eyes, heavy zombie-like makeup. Sharon is a voice for all of us who want to show individuality within our community."

"It's impossible to be blind to her passion and drive, but she's also a very kind, grounded person. I'm always seeking that balance for myself.
"I found Sharon while scouring the Internet for fabulous queens to inspire me. A few months later, her season of Drag Race aired, and I was able to see the full scope of her talent. She's real. A lot of pop artists out there, and the queens who imitate them, have their image manufactured to generate media attention. But Sharon is her own creation, her own fantasy, her own self. I don't care what you look like; I respect people who are real. There is no one look I love most. She has done so many looks, and that depth has always been fascinating."

David Terzian: "Sharon Needles inspires me to floss twice daily and to always look both ways before crossing the street to get to the Church of Satan. Also, Sharon Needles has a really nice dick. Nicer than Lady Gaga's or Wendy Williams'."
William Francis: "I just love what she's doing. She's giving our community role models to look up to, somebody who's outside the boundaries of normal society. Her look is not a traditional drag look. Sharon pushes the boundaries. She lets people know it's about art. It's people like Sharon Needles who have proven to change the standard and are altering the perception of how one can take the performance to a completely uncharted platform. She just has an edge. She really brings a fullness to the table."
Alex Khalifa: "She's a Hunk Patrol sex clown!
"The first time I laid eyes upon Sharon's colorless corpse was in her 'Meet the Queens' interview for season 4 of RuPaul's Drag Race. I've been a big fan ever since. After the first seven seconds, I knew two things: 1) I had a new favorite drag queen, and 2) she was going to kick major ass. It's always nice to meet people who care about what they do and about the effect of their art on the world. I find Sharon relatable because she's always sticking up for the gay community and, most of all, the weird community."

"She is a free spirit and a kind soul, but she's also fierce. She inspires me to stay in character at all times. Gothic performers have a reputation for not having personality, but Sharon brings so much character. She doesn't hold back. It doesn't matter what you wear, as long as you're there! It's one thing when you hear a pop star who's a female telling you to live your life, that you were born to be whoever you want to be, but when it's a man that does what you do and can instruct you, I get something so much more from that. Since Sharon has won, there's a whole new scene of drag emerging.
"Sharon was born a star. I was born a star. It's something that you were born with."

"She is really down-to-earth. When I met her for the first time, it was like talking to any of my friends instantly. She greeted me warmly and everyone warmly. She complimented my look and gave me a hug.
"I've watched every episode of every season, and Sharon has been my absolute favorite. Her look, her personality, her story of growing up -- all of it struck a chord with me, because it was very similar to mine.
"Growing up, she was bullied and had a lot of problems with faculty in her school. That was very moving to me and made me feel an emotional connection with her, because that is a lot like how my childhood and high school years played out. I would oftentimes be harassed or called into the principal's office for my appearance. I was smart and wanted to be myself without it being an issue. It eventually led to me getting kicked out of a lot of schools. It took a lot of time and energy for me to deal with all of that. It had a toll on my overall performance. It made me feel so happy that someone so smart and interesting could have a similar background and still triumph over it.
"I have always been very androgynous with my style and always went for darker looks and more goth influences. Growing up, that sort of evolved into my more gender-fluid, slightly more refined/high-fashion look. The goth and the androgyny are a part of me. I like how Sharon embraces her scary, funny, corny, male side. She doesn't conform to one look, and you are pretty much on the edge of your seat, seeing what she comes out with next. Some people, you can look at them, and they are really pretty and wear nice things that make you say "wow," but her looks are so artful and different that they make you say "wow!"

"I relate to Sharon not only for the fact that we both have a dark sense of humor but also because she's really raised the bar in the 'be who you want to be and f**k everyone else' department.
"My relationship with Sharon Needles goes back to about a year and a half ago: Before her debut on RuPaul's Drag Race, I was following both her and Alaska on YouTube and was just completely floored at how perfect everything they did was. Once Sharon was announced as a contestant on season 4, I was beyond hyped. Following her throughout the season was such an amazing experience, because it was like watching an artist flourish and rise above all odds just by doing what they do best. Everything she has to say is brilliant and has such a sharp, witty edge to it, and it makes me want to really listen. I really began to understand her thought process of just embracing who you are, and as somebody who has had to deal with a lot of insecurities in the past, it hits me hard.
"I'd have to say that Sharon has really influenced me with my everyday wardrobe. I used to be a very 'Plain Jane' jeans-and-a-T-shirt kind of guy, but now I've taken on a much more eclectic style and have learned to simply not care about what others think and to just have fun with it. I like to wear shirts from Walmart that have gigantic prints of animals against a tie-dye background, like a pink shirt with kittens on it staring blankly."

“I love Sharon’s sense of humor and beauty. The look is amazing. She’s smart. She makes it all happen.”

"Sharon owes me a cigarette. I want it back, but I'm scared to ask her."